Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the controversy surrounding a brief, viral postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the Longhorns’ 24-23 comeback win over then-No. 1 Ohio State, saying he wishes he had handled the moment differently.
After the game, Sarkisian gave Rowe a quick ten-word response before walking away as she began her first question, saying only, “That’s called Texas fight! That’s called Texas fight! Hook ’em!”
Speaking later, per On Texas Football, Sarkisian explained that a delay after he greeted Ohio State coach Ryan Day on the field led him to prioritize celebrating with his team rather than completing the interview.
“There was a delay in the moment, you know, through that delay, I wanted to go celebrate with our team. We just had a 21-point fourth-quarter comeback against the No. 1 team in the country,” Sarkisian said. “If hindsight’s 20/20, if I could do it all over again, I would have exuded more patience in that moment and sat through and waited for the interview with Holly.”
Sarkisian said he has a long relationship with Rowe dating back to his playing days at BYU and emphasized respect for ESPN as a broadcast partner. “Could have definitely handled that situation better with a little bit more patience in the moment,” he said.
AI video and Manning’s comment
The brief exchange went viral, prompting someone to create an AI-generated video depicting Sarkisian slapping Rowe before walking off. During a press conference Monday, Texas quarterback Arch Manning referenced having seen AI edits of the moment, specifically mentioning “him slapping Holly Rowe” and calling it hilarious.
Manning apologized Tuesday, calling his remark “insensitive” and saying he would “be more thoughtful going forward.” Rowe said the two spoke after his press conference and that she appreciated the apology, adding, “We move forward with respect and kindness for one another.”
Sarkisian called Manning’s comment “a mistake.”
“Obviously Arch recognizes he made a mistake, and it’s an unfortunate one. Nowhere do we condone domestic violence or violence against women. Nothing in our program says that nor Arch individually. I think if he could take it back, he would. But he has since apologized to Holly. He’s made a public apology, and our goal is that we can move forward and him be the guy that we all know that he is and what he represents.”
Missed halftime interview explained
Sarkisian also addressed missing a scheduled halftime interview with ESPN’s Laura Rutledge while Ohio State led 20-3. Rutledge had previously said on air that Sarkisian waited as long as he could before leaving for the locker room, crediting him for the effort.
“ESPN was having technical difficulties, and I had to make an in-moment decision to say wait on the interview or try to get with our team and try to make the proper adjustments to come out and play as good as we could in the second half,” Sarkisian said. “I let Laura know that, and I think she said that on air. And then I had an opportunity to visit with Laura when we came back out of the locker room to let her know where our thoughts were as a team.”
Texas is now the nation’s top-ranked team and hosts UTSA on Saturday as a heavy favorite.
